According to a video footage the councilwoman shared online, the man who she approached after he left what she claimed was a known squatter dwelling in her area cursed at her and blew marijuana smoke in her face.
“This will not stand on my watch. Homeowners have rights and our neighborhoods deserve better. More action coming,” Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-Queens) raged on Twitter on Monday.
In the one-minute, 38-second video, Paladino can be seen clutching her iPhone while standing on the sidewalk as the unnamed man backs out of a driveway in a burgundy automobile with the windows down.
The two men exchanged snarky remarks before the man stepped out of the car, pulled up his shorts, and walked over to Paladino while holding his own phone.
“Why don’t you do me a favor and get the f–k over there? Because this is mine,” he said while pointing at the ground.
Having her head held high, Paladino declared, “I’m an elected official.”
Paladino asked what was in the man’s mouth after the man turned around and placed the joint back between his lips.
He then said, “Weed,” turning to face Paladino as he took a heavy draw and moved forward while shooting a jet of smoke towards her.
The man then blasted another cloud of smoke in the direction of an unknown woman who responded by taking a picture of the situation and remarking, “Disgusting.”
The video had about 100,000 views and more than 1,700 likes as of Tuesday night.
